CALSTART to Defend EPA’s Clean Truck Standards in Court; Legal Motion in Support of Standards Critical to Clean Transportation

Washington, D.C. Today, CALSTART, one of the leading nonprofit organizations working nationally and internationally to develop clean, efficient transportation solutions, filed a motion to intervene in cases where the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles are challenged in court.  

In response to the motion to intervene filed today, CALSTART’s President and CEO, John Boesel, said:  

“Our intervention is a continuation of our strong and unwavering support for standards that are mission-critical for the clean transportation industry. We have been vocal in our support for the science-based rulemaking process at each phase—and today is no exception.  

With these standards under attack, we are compelled to defend them. Critically, these phased-in standards provide the regulatory certainty that the industry depends on for long-term infrastructure planning and investments. Without strong market signals, our clean transportation momentum would be stymied, and we would forfeit enormous health and climate benefits for people and planet. 

The EPA standards are a step in the right direction to get us on a path toward 100 percent new zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) sales by 2040, a goal enshrined in an international agreement among 36 countries, including the U.S., known as the Global Memorandum of Understanding (Global MOU) on Zero-Emission Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. With stakes this high, we look forward to robustly bringing our expertise to bear in defending standards that are both attainable and well within EPA’s legal authority.  

Our overall message to the court is simple: there is no turning back now—not when these standards are what will help propel the transportation sector forward and not when U.S. companies are poised to be more globally competitive than ever.” 

Background:
At the time of writing, the heavy-duty vehicles standards are being challenged by Western States Trucking Association, Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition, 24 state attorneys general and other entities. To learn more about the significance of the EPA’s Clean Truck Standards, please see CALSTART’s press release in response to EPA’s announcement earlier this year.  


About CALSTART 
A mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all, CALSTART has offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado, California, Florida, and Europe. CALSTART is uniquely positioned to build the national clean transportation industry by working closely with its member companies and building on the lessons learned from the major programs it manages for the State of California. CALSTART has more than 280 member companies and manages more than $500 million in vehicle incentive and technical assistance programs in the United States.